Activity
1 Photocopy an audio script where there are two people talking (a telephone call or a negotiation) and cut it up into ‘double turns’. This means a Person A turn and a Person B turn on the same slip of paper. You will need one complete dialogue per student, or per pair, but having prepared these you can re-use them for other lessons.
2 Mix up the slips of paper on the desk in front of the student/s and ask them to put the dialogue into order.
3 Listen to check.
Background
This is a great way to add variety to the usual coursebook pre-listening activities. It is fun and interesting for the students – a game with hidden language benefits. The use of double turns on the slips of paper rather than single turns is something I have started doing since Vicki Hollett began emphasizing the importance of looking at double turns in class. It also makes the whole exercise easier, allowing you to move quickly to the follow-up activity (usually a RP similar to the one on the audio).